Ron Paul wins majority of delegates in Iowa, Minnesota contests

Des Moines
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Is Texas Congressman Ron Paul's strategy of accumulating delegates in the Republican primary process actually working? Recent delegate confirmations suggest that Dr. Paul will come out with the most delegates in Iowa, Minnesota and possibly Colorado.

Iowa

Mitt Romney won Iowa. Actually it was Rick Santorum who won The Hawkeye State by a very slim margin. More than three months later, it turns out that Ron Paul will get first place in the caucuses as the delegate selection process continues in most states that have held primaries or caucuses.

The Daily Register is reporting that six to eight of the new Iowa GOP state central committee elected Saturday are Paul supporters or have very close ties to the Paul presidential campaign. Also, A.J. Spiker, Paul’s Iowa campaign vice chairman, is the new Republican Party of Iowa chairman. On top of the original seven he received on Jan. 3, he will garner at least 14 of the 28 delegates in Iowa.

Paul came out with 21.43 percent of the vote and gained 26,036 votes. Both the former Massachusetts Governor and former Pennsylvania Senator defeated the three-time libertarian-leaning presidential candidate in the popular vote, but it seems he will win the delegates in Iowa.

“Anyone who’s followed the Ron Paul movement knows it’s about ideals, not a person,” said Joel Kurtinitis, a Paul supporter who is one of the new Iowa GOP state central committee members, in an interview with the news outlet. “It’s free enterprise, individual liberty, a government that’s constitutionally limited.”

Santorum was declared the winner of the 2012 Minnesota caucuses by claiming 44.95 percent of the vote. However, Paul will once again receive at least 20 of the state’s 40 delegates – 14 remain unpledged.

Last week, Paul supporters swept the three district conventions by winning nine of the nine delegates to the national convention. The North Star State is expected to hold conventions from May 4 to May 5 where 13 National Convention delegates will be selected.

On Election Night, the 12-term Texas Congressman was second place by only getting 27.15 percent of the vote and receiving 13,282 votes. Despite Santorum being the winner, his campaign only got two delegates.

Colorado

In the Colorado Republican caucuses that were held on Feb. 7, Dr. Paul was last in the popular vote (11.8 percent, 7,759 votes), but according to the Paul campaign, supporters captured 12 delegates and 13 alternate delegates. The Centennial State maintains 36 delegates; 33 of which are tied to the caucuses.

Furthermore, representatives from the state operations believe it can win over even more delegates from Santorum in the Paul-Santorum coalition that was formed, which grabbed 20 delegates compared to Romney’s estimated 16.

Two Paul supporters will now serve on the Rules Committee and the coalition even unseated Colorado State Party Chairman Ryan Call, a known Romney supporter, from his position as the Delegate Chairman.

“Ron Paul’s victories today declare his delegate-attainment strategy to be a success and they demonstrate that the media and Washington pundits are undercounting his delegates to the Republican National Convention in Tampa,” said John Tate, Ron Paul 2012 National Campaign Manager, in a press release.

State of Campaign

In the first quarter of fundraising for 2012, the Paul campaign raised close to $10.4 million – March alone raised more than $2.6 million. The campaign has nearly $1.8 million on hand and maintains zero debt.

Please note that the figures do not include the $1.4 million Tax Day money bomb.

“These ample funds also will help us compete even harder in Texas, where Ron Paul is the only Texan, veteran, and authentic conservative running,” said Jesse Benton, Ron Paul 2012 National Campaign Chairman, in a press release. “I want to thank Ron Paul’s contributors, who are almost exclusively small-donation supporters and who continue putting their trust in Dr. Paul, his message, and his organization.”

Even MSNBC is confirming these numbers from Iowa and Minnesota. It also reported that Paul supporters in Texas are mimicking President Warren G. Harding’s campaign after winning the Republican nominating convention after entering with the fewest delegates.

On Tuesday, five states will hold their respective primaries. Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island have a total of 231 delegates at stake. Paul has held several town hall meetings in the aforementioned states – plus states where future primaries are going to be held – where thousands of supporters attended.